Fugitive seeks emancipation

Aerendyl · Mar 9, 2023

I had some fun with the law tonight. I was flying close to Mars and saw a crashed ship so I went over to investigate. It was a whole Anaconda wreck which I've never seen before so I wanted to take a look. Without any warning I had gotten a fine for going too close (yay, spirit of discovery). Then as I tried to turn around, I got more fines. Then I was apparently Wanted. Thinking I could pay the fine and clear the bounty, I flew off and docked at a station I was not wanted at. No fines could be paid off. So I tried going to a station I was wanted at. Docking was granted and I got halfway in the station before everyone started shooting, and blew my ship to kingdom come. I paid the 10 million credits rebuy (nice, since the fine was 5400cr) - and tried to pay the fine at the prison ship. There was no such option. So I flew to the nearest Interstellar Factor. There's still no fine to pay.

So is that it? Am I eternally at war with Mother Gaia now?

zimms · Mar 9, 2023

You need to find an Interstellar Factor in a system where Mother Gaia isn't present.

Helmut Grokenberger · Mar 9, 2023

First, this is a bounty, not a fine. If you have a fine, you get anonymous access, but you can dock and pay your fine at the legal contact, and you get full access back. You also do not get shot at when you get scanned by station security.

If you have a bounty and you are wanted, you get shot at as soon as you get scanned. You can be quick, go cold or silent running and still dock, but you still get anonymous access. You cannot pay your bounty at a wanted station, the only way to clear your bounty at a wanted station is to hand yourself in and go to prison.

If you don't want to do that, you can visit an interstellar factor, as zimms said. Paying a bounty at an IF requires you to have a notoriety of 0, and the faction issuing the bounty must not be present in the system where the IF is located.

Aerendyl · Mar 9, 2023

Here's an Interstellar Factor in the BD+24 2539 system. There are only Independent and Alliance factions in this system.
There are no bounties or fines listed at the Factor. My notoriety is zero since all I did was trespass.

Why is this system so mysterious and convoluted?!

zimms · Mar 9, 2023

Hudson's arm reaches longer than expected.

That's weird indeed. Maybe a bug?

Helmut Grokenberger · Mar 9, 2023

Two ideas I have:

1. Are bounties from Mother Gaia in any way special?
2. Have you tried a relog? That sometimes helps with bounty detection and/or bounties seemingly not being cleared after you pay them off.

Apart from that:

Northpin · Mar 9, 2023

Just relog

Aerendyl · Mar 9, 2023

I already tried a relog at BD+24 2539. There was no difference. I suspect that Interstellar Factors only list bounties over 10k, because the Codex says this:

I've read everything else in the Codex but it's not useful. The only thing relevant seems to be this:

I was in a detention centre after my ship was destroyed (though it wasn't entirely "in combat") - but there was no option to pay off the bounty and I checked every menu.

So it seems I have no choice but to attempt to sneak into a Wanted station without being scanned. Since I've been scanned despite silent running before, I'm reluctant to try that. I guess I could buy a Sidewinder somewhere so that the rebuy is minimal but wow, what a massive PITA just because I accidentally crossed an invisible fence! Perhaps I'll just never return to Sol.

Mostly I love it but sometimes I hate this game.

zimms · Mar 9, 2023

Aerendyl said:
I already tried a relog at BD+24 2539. There was no difference. I suspect that Interstellar Factors only list bounties over 10k, because the Codex says this:
[...]

I don't think that's the case. A better term for Interstellar bounties might be Superpower bounties. You'd have a bounty for the Federation instead of Mother Gaia in that case.

Interstellar Factors can get rid of regular faction bounties as well. At least they should, as long as the bounty issuer isn't present in the system.

Helmut Grokenberger · Mar 9, 2023

Wait, you got destroyed and sent to prison. There is no "option" there to pay your bounty at the prison ship, because you are forced pay your bounties at the rebuy screen. So your bounty is probably already paid of, and there is a display glitch in your transaction panel. This is usually fixed by a relog though.

nemolomen · Mar 9, 2023

Sometimes I have trouble paying off bounties. I eventually hit a station where I can pay them off.

As long as one is outside the area controlled by the bounty issuer, its usually not an issue to carry them until they can be paid.

Aerendyl · Mar 9, 2023

zimms said:
I don't think that's the case. A better term for Interstellar bounties might be Superpower bounties. You'd have a bounty for the Federation instead of Mother Gaia in that case.

Interstellar Factors can get rid of regular faction bounties as well. At least they should, as long as the bounty issuer isn't present in the system.

Would it have killed them to put where to go to clear the bounty in the bounty text??

But in any case, BD+24 2539 is an Alliance system:

Star system - BD+24 2539 [INARA - Elite:Dangerous]

The companion site for Elite:Dangerous. Market data, CMDR's logs, squadrons, logbooks, galleries, powerplay, engineers, blueprints, crafting, galaxy info, news and more...

inara.cz

Helmut Grokenberger · Mar 9, 2023

also, what @zimms says. You can pay off the smallest faction bounties at the IF as long as the issuing faction is not present in the system (NOT just the station).

Aerendyl · Mar 9, 2023

Helmut Grokenberger said:
also, what @zimms says. You can pay off the smallest faction bounties at the IF as long as the issuing faction is not present in the system (NOT just the station).

Nope, I made sure:

Aerendyl · Mar 9, 2023

OH LOOKEE HERE! Perhaps the Prison stint DID clear it after all??
This is after quitting the game and logging in again half an hour later. But I absolutely did quit to the main menu and log back in again while docked at a station at BD+24 2539 in order to make double-sure the Interstellar Factor menu wasn't just out of date.

Thanks for all the attempts to help everyone. These bugs are so annoying sometimes.

Helmut Grokenberger · Mar 9, 2023

well, what can I say. You pay your bounty by either handing yourself in or getting destroyed and thus going to prison, or by visiting an IF. You can pay every bounty at the IF as long as you are 0 notoriety and the issuing faction is not present. That's the rules, and they are pretty easy. Sometimes there are hickups and glitches, usually resolved by a relog or maybe waiting for a tick.

For future reference: Do a relog, and then re-check your transaction panel after you paid a bounty or went to prison.

Aerendyl said:
OH LOOKEE HERE! Perhaps the Prison stint DID clear it after all??
This is after quitting the game and logging in again half an hour later. But I absolutely did quit to the main menu and log back in again while docked at a station at BD+24 2539 in order to make double-sure the Interstellar Factor menu wasn't just out of date.

Thanks for all the attempts to help everyone. These bugs are so annoying sometimes.

Doing a relog after paying your bounties (willingly or forced) is always a good idea.

Northpin · Mar 9, 2023

Aerendyl said:
OH LOOKEE HERE! Perhaps the Prison stint DID clear it after all??
This is after quitting the game and logging in again half an hour later. But I absolutely did quit to the main menu and log back in again while docked at a station at BD+24 2539 in order to make double-sure the Interstellar Factor menu wasn't just out of date.

Thanks for all the attempts to help everyone. These bugs are so annoying sometimes.

View attachment 348003

I got bounties twice in the last month during AX CZ (shooting a player and then an NPC)
In both cases, following the rebuy and respawn at the prison ship, the bounties were still listed in my transaction panel

A relog, while at the prison ship, cleared the bounties from my transaction panel.

That's why i suggested a relog.

Sometimes even fines remain visible in the transaction panel after being payed and station services being restored - in that case a relog (or a hiperjump) will clear the "visual" bug

Screemonster · Mar 9, 2023

The one thing that I can't figure out are superpower bounties. Are they supposed to clear after you clear all your bounties for that superpower? Finding an IF where that superpower is present makes it appear as possible to pay off, but the button doesn't do anything. Then they disappear on a relog. Sometimes they disappear on a relog if I haven't found a non-superpower IF.

Oh, and if I pay a bounty at an IF on foot, the bounty never disappears in my ship panel until I relog.

Either way, you won't disappear off the station news most wanted list until someone else commits a crime with that faction and updates it, no matter how you pay it off.

Northpin · Mar 9, 2023

Screemonster said:
Finding an IF where that superpower is present

you mean: is NOT present

Jack Winter · Mar 9, 2023

I'll confess to being confused on how this works in details, but I'll note that sometimes a bounty is on the ship and not the commander.

For instance I died and went to jail, paid off my bounties but still had problems with my ship. IIRC, I got offered later to pay it off while changing ship.